Return To Zork
__TOC__ Technical Information *'How can I play this game in my computer?' - DOSBOX in the most recommended way to run DOS games in any computer platform nowadays. For more help on how to run it and your system requirements go to this page. *'I have the Macintosh version, but it doesn't play!' - I'm on the same boat, DOSBOX is the only way until further notice. While the game was noticeably improved graphic-wise by the time the Macintosh release came along, there really isn't any way to run it. You could give Basilisk II a try, but I didn't get it to work for my setup, maybe it might work for yours? Be warned, Basilisk II needs a Mac ROM file to work, while DOSBOX doesn't need anything. *'I don't have the retail version, but I still want to play the game' - So far Activision hasn't confirmed that the game has been turned to the public domain, but since it's from 1993 (and at the time of this writing that was 18 years ago) they probably should. I very much doubt that any sells of remaining used Return To Zork (or even new unwrapped) will get them any profits. If they want to make profit from it, a relaunch of the graphical trilogy would be awesome (Return To Zork, Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor). If you're looking for a free download, take a look at the external links at the bottom. *'The Zork games are awesome, did Activision make any more?' - The following games in the Zork series that follow are Zork Nemesis and Zork Grand Inquisitor you can pick them up very cheap throughout the net. Be advised, setting them up requires a lot of patience to make them work in new operating systems (Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X). The external links at the bottom might also help. If you happen to be trying to make ZGI work on OSX 10.4 try this setup guide. Jolt Online and Activision have released a new browser based Zork game called Legends of Zork, free for all to play! If you get hooked, you will be needing a lot of coconuts. Be warned! Your Game Packaging Originally when you bought the game (and if you're one of the few people who has this game in full with original manuals) you got a pretty convincing "Sweepstakes Winner" letter and the "Encyclopedia Frobozzica" along with a very brief pamphlet about the wonderful world of Zork, congratulating you about purchasing Return To Zork. You had another manual with a list of current famous Activision games, with an order form to get for a fee of $10.95 USD, the official Return to Zork "Hint Guide" directly from Activision. There was also a large publication with the words The Program, it was very brief and and short. The Hint Book (a 50 page booklet you ordered from Activision) would aid you solve all of the puzzles without anything fancy. The worst things about that booklet were the maps of the Whispering Woods and the Forest of the Spirits (to put it more accurately, they were a total mess). The official hint book wasn't the best guide for Return to Zork at the time, you could get a fully illustrated Unofficial Return To Zork Guide from a third party that would help you solve the puzzles, and gave you images and maps much easier to work with. The sweepstakes letter which was an essential part of the game, would give you a list of the things you had won: A Pholobloid Instant Camera, a Zony tape recorder, and a Tele-Orb. From home you brought a box of matches, a photo album, a map, and a sharp knife which is very strange because tourists do not normally bring sharp weapons in their travels. Soon you will have many items including the 3 items you were promised in the gift shop located inside West Shanbar's historic Pawn Shop (see Sweepstakes Winner letter). Incidentally the letter also offers a free stay in the historical West Shanbar Vacation Village Resort which is nowhere to be found but rumored to be part of the "'''Road to the South".' As you will learn soon enough while passing through the Mountain Pass, the Road to the South is not just full of vultures and death; but it's definitely impassable. Instead, later you get to stay in the '"Inn of Isenough'" for a fee of 2 zorkmids per night. And if you were really bored, you could go for a night thrill in the "'Chuckles Comedy Club'" -that ''would surely snap you out of your depression! IT&L's VALLEY OF THE SPARROWS RESORT 5 Arch 1647 GUE Dear Sweepstakes Winner, CONGRATULATIONS! You are the Grand Prize Winner in IT&L's Vacation Sweepstakes! You have just been selected for an all expenses paid four day vacation in the fabulous Valley of the Sparrows! Visit the greatest archaeological discovery of our time-the newly discovered caverns that prove the existence of the Great Underground Empire of Zork, at no cost to you! This terrific prize package includes four days and three nights accommodations at the scenic West Shanbar Vacation Village Resort located on the impossibly beautiful Road to the South and just a stone's throw from the Northern River Lighthouse. There's more! In the next few days you will receive a special delivery package with three bonus gifts to help you make the most of your upcoming trip. Your gifts will include a Pholobloid Instant Camera so you can take all the pictures you want, a Zony tape recorder for your personal listening pleasure, and our latest invention, the Tele-Orb from which I or my famous partner Wizard Trembyle, will provide useful commentary during your travels through the valley. Best of all, by participating in this wonderful vacation you are eligible to receive a one year free trial membership in our soon to be completed Great Underground Timeshare Rezort. This is no ordinary offer. There are no strings attached! Just come to the scenic Valley of the Sparrows, claim your vacation prize package and attend a low-key 90 minute presentation. The rest of your stay in the Valley of the Sparrows is yours to enjoy. Take advantage of all the fun -filled activities offered in the captivating Valley of the Sparrows: Boating... on the scenic Northern River that runs south through East and West Shanbar. Sightseeing... at the historic Temple at Bel Naire. Exploring... in the ruins of the Great Underground Empire! Night Life... Enter the joke telling contest at Cliff's Comedy Club! Be one of the first to walk amidst the ruins of the lost Underground Empire of Zork. See for yourself! We have indisputable evidence that proves the existence of the legendary subterranean world of Zork, whose vast array of caverns was hidden away during the Great Diffusion over 400 years ago! Finally, upon arrival in the Valley of the Sparrows, as a special welcome bonus, we would like to invite you to drop by our gift shop located inside West Shanbar's historic Pawn Shop, to choose three free gifts from our wide selection of numismatic wonders, gadgets, mementos, and other great items. Remember, all you have to do is attend the IT&L Group's low-key, 90 minute informative orientation that I will personally host-then, spend the rest of your vacation in the Valley of the Sparrows enjoying the activities of your choice. See you soon! Sincerely, E. Rufus Rooper Executive Vice President Illumynite, Translumynite & Leisure, Inc. Encyclopedia Frobozzica: Copy Protection Answers Throughout the game you will find a couple of places where you will be asked copy protection questions. The most obvious ones are Rebecca's Test (you do not need to do this one in the Macintosh version) and Mavis Peepers Test (this is mandatory in all versions to continue the game). The answers are as followed: Days of the week *Sand Day *Mud Day *Grues Day *Wands Day *Birthday *Frob Day™ *Star Day Months of the year *Estuary *Frobuary™ *Arch *Oracle *Mage *Jam *Jelly *Augur *Suspendur *Ottobur *Mumberbur *Dismembur Introduction You find a clearing in the deep woods with a deserted white house, in the middle of nowhere. You move northwest then southwest (it doesn't make any sense but) you find yourself at the front where there's a mailbox. It is hard to believe a mailman would indeed come to a place like this to deliver mail. In reality this game acts as a sequel to Zork I, II and III in which you get a map, compass, knife, and you move around in a very similar way; looking for a way to move forward without any idea or expectations where you're going. Incidentally you also have no clue what you're doing, you don't know if there's anyone to rescue and (in some cases) you find yourself so involved in the plot, you CAN even forget you're playing a game. You open the mailbox and are greeted by Rufus Rooper, who congratulates you but shouts "No.... No.... HELP!!!" leaving you to wonder what the heck is going on! After a beautiful display of scenery above the woods which I assume it's because a vulture just carried you from where you were; you're brought to the top of a rocky mountain path. And here your journey begins. Your inventory Your inventory can be accessed if you click the right mouse button. If you happen to be in the Mac version (and you have one of the early mice) you need to press the space bar to be able to get to your inventory. Every item in your inventory will have relevant options to choose from. By picking up an item you may have other options, for example you can recall the inventory and click on a second item (while holding the first one) and you may be given options like joining the items together, or using them with each other. If you observe some items you're given clues as to what they may be good for - "a rock: good for throwing at things". Don't be fooled, these type of hints are rare. Those matches are quite capable of burning things, be careful what you burn as items that are given to you by some people can not be recovered. If you misuse an item, you will certainly cripple the ability to finish the game! Your Tele-Orb A Tele-orb... What the heck is a Tele-orb? Well, it sort of looks like a glass ball like the ones fortune tellers use. But there is an actual wizard - Wizard Trembyle, who talks to you through this one; every now and then. You will find however that this sucker will not come on when you really are in trouble. He really doesn't say much. Sometimes he will come up when you're viewing some of your inventory items. The times this guy comes up however, whether is for gossip, useful information, or warnings; you should always listen since he's there for a purpose. Later on, you will find out that the tele-orb is a mere prototype (a beta version of what the actual product was supposed to be), it can receive messages but it can't send. So basically he can "email" you but you can't "email" him back. Instead, there are certain things he can sense; but only those he's familiar with. Particularly, he doesn't know anything about nature (or spiders). Your Knife (from home) It is obvious what knives are for, but you wont be using it for the obvious things o_0 at least not yet... Your Camera This is your faithful companion! Do not underestimate the values of a picture, snapshot, photo, whatever you want to call it - take pictures of EVERYTHING! In this wonderful game (the only one with these attributes in the Zork series) you can show the pictures to the people you encounter. You WONT be able to solve some of the puzzles (or get certain items) unless you gather the appropriate photos! One that comes to mind is Rebecca, if you show her a picture of Canuk, you will trigger some very interesting comment; you wont get the same response if (for instance) you show her Canuk's hut in the map. All is not lost however, sometimes you might be able to recover those by using your recorder, sometimes it will trigger the missing responses. In reality, clues are just information you need to figure out the game on your own, which you wont need as long as you read a guide like this. =) Your Voice Recorder Same as pictures, except you DO NOT have to record, because the machine will do that for you. Whatever you hear will be recorded. Even Rebecca Snoot dog's bark will be recorded! If you're stuck, you can pull out the recorder and see if the person has anything to say about the recorded message. Your Map Your trusty map will record locations as you encounter them. There's not much in it but there will be soon. The map will have a total of two pages eventually, but not yet. Your Photo Album Your second best friend, this is where your pictures will be stored. Show it off often to people! CHAPTER 1 Mountain Pass: Valley of the Sparrows May also be called Mountain Path or Valley of the Vultures, whatever you prefer. Are you confused about the orb? Don't worry, there's a battery in the gift shop. Remember the Sweepstakes letter? That's the Gift Shop they speak about, but first things first! IMPORTANT THINGS: *Take a photo to learn how to use the camera, your photos will store in your photo album. *Roll your mouse all over the screen. There is a rock nearby. *That vulture, hmm, be careful it's quite hungry! *See the sign? There's a plant by the foot of that sign, be careful though! *The upper left corner is your control panel, here you can restore or save your game. Save often. *You have 99 save slots, no need to replace old saves! *Red cursors arrows are for moving to the next screen, while the hand will explore the one you're in. *Captions are important to let you know about places names and objects. Well, the Vulture is very lethal! So talking to it once shall be enough, too much interaction and you'll be eaten. There is death all around you. The knife wont do you any good, use it just for kicks but the vulture needs to be hit by the rock. The knife will help you dig out the plant. DO NOT cut the plant, the plant needs to be alive for the Cliff's of Depression Comedy Club. Examine the plant once you're holding it, and the Wizard will inform you that it likes you! NOTE: The bonding plant is an item which may be able to grow again by the sign, but the only way it will grow back is, IF you eat it. Remember, plants take time to grow, but do not throw it away, you will never get it back! The Lighthouse Move forward by clicking your red arrow and you'll see a majestic view of a lighthouse. From now on, you must remember to take a picture as soon as you enter an area. Things that can't be photographed are not important. Go straight with your red arrow to approach it (the Wizard says to ask about the Road to the South), before you enter the lighthouse I suggest you take a picture at the Road to the South so click on your forward arrow once more and you will be facing the road. Be careful, once step forward and you're dead meat. If you encountered a few planks on the ground, ignore them for now. Try to enter the lighthouse, don't worry it doesn't take much effort. He he! IMPORTANT THINGS: *Highlight the Keeper's picture in your album or his lighthouse in your map, and he'll tell you about illumynite. *Not really important, but try showing or giving your matches to the Keeper! *Talking to people and your emotions: **As you probably have been able to tell already, the emotions of your character will play an important role in the outcome of the conversation. Later on, things you hear will be collected in a notepad you will receive, so to be able to fill it; try to hear as much as possible from people. Like the recorder, the notes are recorded automatically as you travel and talk to people. **All options in emotions are useful. Don't fell bad about threatening, but make sure to save your game before you do so. You NEED to threaten a couple of people to get what you need; but you can also trigger undesirable responses by threats. If a friendly person runs away they'll be gone for good, and this can eliminate your ability to complete the game. So keep that in mind. Upstairs in the lighthouse, there really isn't anything you can actually do here yet, except throw things over the railing. You might be able to pick them up where the woods planks are behind the lighthouse, but if they are not there; you'll need to restore your last save or begin your game again! Behind the Lighthouse If you explore the lighthouse surroundings, you will find wood planks and vines behind the lighthouse. You're far from the luxurious boating you were promised in the Sweepstakes letter. You are stranded, and nobody is around to rent a boat from. You will be able to go "boating" eventually but at a cost, and you need some rodent power to be able to accomplish that (we'll cross that bridge when we get to it)! Ahh, finally you get to use the knife for something other than gardening! Then again... ok nevermind, just think survival. You can cut the vines and built a raft with the planks. West Shanbar: Off the Bridge In the CD version of the game you will automatically jump off the raft onto the broken bridge. Yes you just read that right, the bridge is broken behind you, keep that in mind! The Northern River is deeper than you think... If you are playing the diskette version of RTZ, I strongly recommend you to download the CD version here (data only - digital soundtrack only available in original CD). There are many movies and details that will play in the CD version that were not terribly useful enough to include in the disk version. You want the best gaming experience, don't you? ;) CHAPTER 2 West Shanbar So many things to do and, no sense of order in which they should be done. As hard as it is to admit, you need to reactivate that Tele-Orb as soon as possible. There are many clues you need, and he's the only one who can give them to you. Well, yeah I could help but I can't remember absolutely everything. ;) Operation Tele-Orb Activation If you pay close attention to figure 5, you will see there is a red arrow to turn around. The four buildings in front of you are not the only place you can go to. Whatever you do Do NOT attempt to cross the bridge, unless you're looking for a laugh. When you have turned around, three new options are available to you: go left, go under the bridge toward the right, or go straight. We want to go left like the illustration suggests to Booz Miller's house. Now would be a good time to take a few pictures. Old Mill Boos Myller lives here, and he's completely drunk. He loves to share though, and he's willing to share a few drinks with you. If you're persistent you can get other things from him too, but right now we want to focus on fixing the Tele-Orb. It should be important to note if you're disoriented, you came from the door to the right. You want to go to the door on the left... yet the back of his house it's a dead end. Don't even think you can make-off with Boos's corvette, it has an alarm (well, kind of - in the Macintosh version of the game, clicking on the car would trigger a honking sound and what seemed to be the noise of an AM radio tuning) you can imagine the big disappointment when I found the DOS version doesn't have it. Anyway, what you're here for is that golden key on the floor! Make your way out of Boos house, the door to your right will take you back. You must turn around, then go straight to go back to West Shanbar. Back To West Shanbar (2) We are looking for a battery. The Gift Shop is the building made of bricks to the far left (figure 5). Wise of Boos to make his shop out of bricks! If you can remember the Sweepstakes Winner letter it says you can take 3''' items of your choice. The shiny key you possess will open that door. This part is/was perplexing for many players without a Sweepstakes Winner letter, they claimed you could enter this shop and steal all you wanted; yet you wouldn't be punished? The '''Official Return to Zork Hint Book publication ©1993 from Activision, Inc. reinforces the suggestion in the letter: *Think of the illumynite battery as a gift. *Your sweepstakes letter will point you in the right direction. *There are three items you can take from the Gift Shop So make yourself at home. If you're one of those blessed to have the DOS game on CD, you'll be greeted with one of the best music tracks of the game while you make-off with the zorkmids and the tickets. The battery can be found on the shelf, and it's very shiny and weird looking; that's because it's an illuminyte battery. You should use the battery with the Tele-Orb as soon as you can. External Links The Zork Library - Return To Zork overview and illustrations The Zork Compendium: Encyclopedia Frobozzica Return to Zork at GameFAQs Return to Zork at the Internet Movie database Return to Zork in Wikipedia Return To Zork Walkthrough Balmoral Soft Mr. Bill's Adventureland Review The Computer Show Return to Zork Walkthrough David Tanguay's Return to Zork walkthrough Download Return to Zork at Abandonia